Social media has only woven deeper into the fabric of how China’s netizens make purchase decisions online over time. As shown below social’s role as a medium of discovery and research has a considerable influence on how millennials purchase products. After purchase on e-commerce, millennials also come back to social media to publicly share feedback on their new products, thus completing one digital cycle and readied to begin another ad infinitum.

Social Media Heavily Influences Prospective Buyers

About 75% of netizens will have their planned purchases somehow influenced by content they see on social media in China, mostly on WeChat and Weibo, but also other platforms. Content seen on social media causes them to change their plans and buy different products, buy more of a planned product, or buy a product they didn’t consider to purchase before.

Tmall is King of E-commerce, but VIP.com Has Traction Among Millennials

Although Tmall has the lion’s share, and JD is a close second, millennials also seem to disproportionately prefer VIP.com than non-millennials. That’s an exciting trend and could suggest that VIP.com is catering better to millennials than China’s other e-commerce giants giving them an edge in the years to come.

Netizens Actively Provide Feedback on Products

After China’s netizens purchase products online, many will then post reviews on social media, completing the online consumer journey cycle. Channels where product commentary is published, include BBS, WeChat and Weibo, and Online Stores.